All You Had To Do Was Stay
by Relena for President
Summary: Heero never had to do anything to earn Relena's love... All he had to do was stay. 1xR fluff-a-thon; 'Civil Wars' prequel/cut scene of sorts.


"But I don't _want_ to be babysat!"

Relena Darlian stormed all the way up the marble staircase in her estate, and resisted the urge to look over her shoulder to see if he was following her. In the moment, she didn't care.

Rather, in the moment, she was pretending not to care.

She made it all the way down the long hallway to the wing that housed her master suite. The placed was massive - too massive, she knew, for an almost seventeen-year-old who mostly lived alone - and that was especially irritating when she was in the middle of trying to make a very important point. She realized the effectiveness of her protest only diminished with every step she made; by the time she reached her bedroom door, her anger had already cooled.

Because he was right. The place was huge, and filling it up with guests - many of whom were famous diplomats - for her birthday celebration was a huge risk.

Especially since there had been a threat on her life. Make that multiple threats.

 _But still…_ Relena refused to cave in to his demands so easily, many of which she found utterly ridiculous and over-the-top. And so she squared her shoulders and stamped into her bedroom, where she began opening drawers and rifling through them, casting various articles of clothing about, as if she were looking for something extremely important that she had to have right then and there. She didn't need anything, except for some way to vent her frustration.

Otherwise, she would continue yelling at Heero Yuy till she was blue in the face. And he would continue to stand there regarding her with steely eyes, not even the least bit flustered.

Relena huffed and picked up another item to throw. She realized too late it was a lacy negligee. Not that she owned that many of those, but…

"What's this?"

His booming voice resounded behind her. Relena whirled around to find Heero peeling the garment from his face. She couldn't help but smirk in his direction.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know." Heero blinked once, but his expression remained otherwise neutral. Relena growled again and turned back around to resume her tossing. She stopped abruptly when she felt Heero's hands close over both her shoulders.

"What are you trying to accomplish?" he murmured, his mouth unnervingly close to her ear. Relena felt a shiver race down her spine. She took a deep breath to calm herself; she was not going to turn into a simpering schoolgirl with a crush around this boy. This _young man_ , she corrected herself. Heero may have been young - sixteen or seventeen now, she couldn't be sure - but Relena had to remind herself, he was far from being a "boy." He was the one who had saved the whole world, and saved her too many times to count. Heero was a man in every sense of the word.

That thought only gave her another shiver.

She set her mouth into a hard line and turned to face him, breaking his contact. She planted her hands on her hips and glared up at him. His face was still a blank, but his eyes were a swirling storm. Relena could feel her resolve melting away. All she could think as she stared up at Heero was, _When did he get so much taller than me, anyway?_

She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to break the spell.

"Heero," she said sternly, "I'm very mad right now…"

"I'll say," he said in a flat voice. "You're tearing your room apart and acting insane."

Relena opened her eyes to gawp at him. "I'm not _insane_ , Heero, I'm angry."

"I can see that." His gaze remained hard, but his lips twitched. He didn't add anything to his statement or offer any sort of apology. Relena sighed and threw up her hands.

"Can't you understand why?!"

Heero shrugged one shoulder. "No. Not really. I honestly don't see what the problem is."

Relena looked at him as if he had two heads. "Well, _I_ have a problem with your draconian security methods." She wagged a finger at him, as if that would help her make her point. Heero frowned and pushed her hand down to her side.

"You hired me to do a job," he said calmly. "Why don't you try letting me." It was more of an order than a suggestion. Relena swore she could feel her blood about to boil.

"Because, Heero, what you want to do will never work!"

"Sure it will."

"You want to fill my house with armored guards! How will that make my guests feel?! This is supposed to be a party; they should be _able_ to party without all the paranoia!" Relena's chest heaved as she yelled right into Heero's face. He continued to stand quietly, his eyes locked on hers, listening without offering any sort of reaction. Relena took a deep breath and continued her verbal assault.

"The war is finally over; it's been over for months! Sure, there have been some idle threats here and there, but that's bound to happen! It's nothing that I'm not used to; and from what Une has told me, Preventer intelligence has not indicated this latest threat is any more than an empty one. Why resort to such drastic measures if you don't even have a threat confirmed?!"

Heero finally broke eye contact, shaking his head to the side. "If there were, then there wouldn't be a party. End of story," he barked. "What would be _drastic_ would be allowing this event to continue. I'll allow it, but only with proper security." He returned his eyes to hers. They burned like blue fire.

"You'll _allow_ it?!" Relena screeched. "Heero, this party is happening, like it or not. We need to send a message to people - and these so-called terrorists, or rebel faction, or whoever they are - that we will not back down because of some silly threat!" She could feel tears stinging her eyes, and worked to keep them at bay. "What people need now is hope. That's what we are striving to give them every day in this post-world war. But if they see that we can't even throw a party without armored guards… what kind of message does that send?! This house will look like the scene of a post-apocalyptic movie! People will think they're living in a police state! They're going to think ESUN is the same as the Alliance! They're going to-"

Relena's words vanished in thin air as Heero's mouth closed over hers. She kept her eyes wide open as his hands gripped her waist, and he kissed her firmly. After a moment, she allowed her eyes to close and kissed him back. But only briefly. Then she broke away and leveled indignant eyes on him.

"Heero!" she gasped. "What on Earth was _that_?"

He took a step back and frowned at her. "You don't want me to kiss you?"

Relena felt heat creeping into her cheeks. "It's not that…" she said, trying to appear less flustered. "It was just... unexpected. That's all."

"Sorry about that." Heero's frown deepened. "I didn't think you'd mind. You let me before."

 _Before?_ Relena's mind raced. He had to be referring to the one other time he had kissed her… sort of. It had happened so quickly, as they were fleeing an exploding colony after neutralizing a threat from remnants of White Fang… Relena was about to leave the colony in a shuttle and Heero was headed in another direction. They had already said their goodbyes and were about to part ways when he grabbed her by the sleeve, pulled her back, and brushed his lips to hers. It was brief but passionate, and one of the most thrilling moments of Relena's young life. Besides all of the other times Heero had thrilled her by merely being himself.

It was impossible to be anything but dazzled in that moment. Relena had been rendered speechless, rooted to the spot as Heero's lips grazed hers. But then, as quickly as it happened, he was gone.

And there hadn't been one kiss since then.

After that, they saw one another a handful of times, usually in passing. Until Christmas Eve, A.C. 196, when Relena was kidnapped by deceased Romefeller leader Treize's daughter in what was now referred to by the media as "The Mariemaia Incident." Heero managed to stop Mariemaia and save Relena by attacking the underground base she was being held in. After firing his mobile suit's twin buster rifle at the base, Heero had all but crash-landed, like he did on the day they met. But instead of washing up on a beach, he simply passed out. And fell into Relena's arms.

That was the closest they had ever been physically, and even though it had been a harrowing event, Relena felt all the tension melt away as she held Heero against her, and waited for paramedics to attend to him. Unlike that first meeting long ago - it already felt so long ago, although it was a mere two years ago - this time, Heero stayed with her. This time, he didn't fight the medics that came to help him. This time he allowed himself to be hospitalized and cared for.

The city of Brussels was a mess following the incident. The next day, Relena went right back to work, but only after she'd had multiple reassurances that Heero was going to be fine. And anyway, she didn't want to hover. She knew, by then, how Heero Yuy operated, and knew if she babied him too much, he would most likely resent her. She was happy he had allowed her to take care of him, this time. She left him to rest and heal while she set about trying to heal a fractured world.

She saw Heero again - briefly - a few weeks later, when she was in the middle of giving a speech in the capitol building. She sensed steady eyes on her and looked up to find that, sure enough, Heero was watching her from the balcony. He didn't linger after the speech to speak with her, which made Relena sad in the moment. Later on, however, she received an email from an address that was merely numbers, and knew it had to be from him...

 _Relena,_

 _There aren't enough words to thank you properly for how you helped me. I hope you will not be offended by my futile attempts to thank you. But I appreciate everything you do for me, and for others. I know you have what it takes to keep the world in peace. Don't lose heart in these difficult times. I will be watching out for you, as always. There is no need for you to be afraid. Keep working and striving. Know you will always have my support._

 _I'm sorry I couldn't visit you this time as I will be traveling for a while. Please take care._

 _ヒイロ_

His name was written in Japanese. Relena didn't find that surprising. The "happy birthday" note he'd left her on a colony shuttle last year, attached to a teddy bear, was also in Japanese, which was how Relena knew it had to be from him. That was, until she confirmed his presence when she saw him leaving in his airport worker disguise.

She wasn't surprised to learn later that he spent the next few months, following the Mariemaia incident, exploring Japan, trying to get in touch with his origins. He returned to Brussels a changed man. Relena thrilled at the still-recent memory of the day he walked into her office downtown, unannounced, wearing his new Preventers uniform, informing her simply that he'd gotten a job.

Shortly after, he took over her security detail. And it didn't take long for him to abandon his quarters in the Preventers HQ and start staying with Relena full-time. She gave him his own room in her estate and was surprised that he readily accepted. He had been living there for a few weeks now, and so far the transition - having not just some guy, but _Heero-flipping-Yuy_ living under the same roof - had been fairly seamless.

Not that Relena ever expected Heero to fully embrace domestic life; they had simply fallen into a comfortable routine, leaving for work together and coming home at the same time most nights. The very notion had made Relena giddy, but she quickly realized that Heero seemed to view his role as her personal escort and bodyguard. He was far from being a house husband. And so Relena had been doing her very best to avoid becoming a puddle around him, to try and keep things professional.

But, now that he'd kissed her... Well. All of _that_ flew right out the window.

Relena was working to keep her composure. But seeing Heero's earnest expression, on his impossibly handsome face, was making that difficult. Again, she wondered when he'd gotten so tall, and broad-shouldered and… muscular…

Heero was watching her closely. "You don't want me to do that," he surmised. He gave a careless shrug. "Okay. I won't. Sorry about that."

He turned his heel and strode toward the door. Relena was shell-shocked. She reached out to him before he could exit the room.

She snatched him by the sleeve.

He stopped, his back still to her.

"Heero…" Relena's heart hammered in her chest. "Wait."

Heero turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder. The look he gave her could have stopped her heart. His expression was still calm but she swore his eyes twinkled at her.

"Hm?"

"Would… would you…" She lowered her eyes, a flush burning her cheeks. "Would you mind… trying that again?"

She kept her eyes glued to the floor, too shy to look right at him. Heero said nothing more, but Relena glanced up when she felt his finger under her chin. He tipped her chin up slightly, bent his face toward hers, and captured her lips with his.

This time, Relena closed her eyes and tried to focus on the feel of Heero's lips against hers. They were surprisingly soft, his kiss firm, but gentle. She felt a rush spreading head to toe, and back again. Her body tingled in a way she had never experienced; what _was_ this, and why was it happening? Relena, as a teenager and still a virgin, had always struggled to imagine what sex must be like; how strange it was, the idea that taking your clothes off and kissing and touching another person was supposed to be the most exciting thing one could do with one's time. The notion had always embarrassed Relena; why would she want to be naked with someone, and grant them access to her most private parts? The whole thing sounded terrifying. Relena figured that when the time came for such an activity to take place, she would be scared senseless.

But now, as Heero's kisses deepened, and his hands threaded themselves in her hair - something that felt even _better_ than his kiss, somehow - suddenly she understood. The heat between them was almost too much to bear. Relena's clothing began to feel like a barrier, a burden, and so did his. She reached up and grasped the lapels of his Preventer's jacket, not knowing what else to do with her hands. She wanted to push it off his shoulders; that seemed like the logical thing to do. And she wanted him to remove her blouse...

These thoughts shocked Relena; she had been curious about kissing Heero, and even entertained the idea of being intimate with him, but all of that seemed so far away, in the far-off future. Now that it was happening in real time, she didn't know how to handle it.

At last, breathless, she broke contact with him. To her astonishment, Heero's face was a little flushed, too. He looked directly at her, his eyes rounder than usual. He looked like he wasn't quite sure what to do next, either.

Naturally, Relena was the first to voice the question. "What now?" she whispered. Her hands were still clutching his jacket; his were still in her hair.

"Uh…" Heero's eyes tightened, as if he were trying to problem-solve. "I…" Relena would have found his flabbergasted response amusing, if she weren't so nervous herself. She realized that she was shaking. Heero's hands drifted down to her arms.

"Are you cold?" he asked, running his hands over her sleeves. First Relena was burning up; now, she was shivering. No wonder so many songs and poems compared love to some sort of sickness...

"No," she said shakily, betraying her nerves. She turned her face to the side and tried to focus on something besides Heero's smoldering stare. "I just… I don't know what we should do…" She hated sounding so unsure of herself.

"You're cold," Heero said decidedly. He took Relena by the hand and led her over to her four-poster bed. He sat down on the edge and gently pulled her down beside him before reaching for the throw blanket she kept on the end of the bed. He carefully draped it over her shoulders. Relena immediately wanted to cast it off - she was _way_ too hot - but she didn't want to disrupt the tender gesture. These moments with Heero were so few and far between, she had begun to crave this sort of attention from him. She hadn't even realized how affection-starved she had been until now.

Heero reached up and grazed his fingers over her forehead, frowning all the while. "Now you're feverish…" Relena tried to keep the bemused expression from crossing her face, but it was too adorable, watching Heero try to deduce what was ailing her.

 _It's all_ your _fault,_ she wanted to say. _You're doing this to me, Heero Yuy…_

She watched his puzzlement for a moment longer before she gave up completely. Relena reached her hands up and cupped his face. His eyes widened marginally as she tilted her face up toward his and kissed him.

Heero's hands came to rest on her waist before he moved them around to her back. They kissed for a few more minutes, seated next to one another, their kisses gradually becoming more fervent. Relena could feel Heero's hands pressing into her back, her blouse, right where her bra strap was. She couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking of removing it. Would he? Were they about to go that far? How far _should_ they go? How far should she let him? Was it all up to her?

These questions seemed to answer themselves as the kisses continued. The more they kissed, the closer they became, until Relena was practically on top of Heero. Her leg grazed the hardness in his jeans, and she nearly bolted right then and there. She told herself it must have been his gun, but she immediately knew better. She'd taken sex ed. in school; she'd read all about this. He was having the reaction guys had when they were about to have sex. This realization frightened her; was she about to see his… his _thing_? She had never seen one, let alone interacted with one… what was she supposed to _do_ with it? What if she did something wrong?

The pressure between them was building, the heat rising right along with it. Slowly, Heero lowered Relena onto the bed. Their lips disconnected briefly as he pressed her back against the mattress. Their eyes met, and Relena thought she caught a flash in Heero's eyes. _What was that?_ She wondered. Was it possible he was just as nervous as she was?

"Relena…" His eyes seemed to cloud over. "I should go."

Her heart began to beat wildly. "Go? Go where?"

"I…" Heero cast furtive eyes to the side, as if he expected someone to burst through the door at any moment. "I should just go," he mumbled.

"Don't." Relena was surprised by the forcefulness in her own voice. She reached up and snatched the hem of his jacket. "Stay."

Heero looked taken aback by the gesture. "But…" he started.

"But what?" she sighed impatiently. "Heero… please don't do this." He frowned down at her.

"Do what?"

"Don't just kiss me and take off," she said hotly. "I won't have it." He arched his brows, but otherwise didn't move.

"I'm not taking off," he said. "I just think we should be more careful."

Relena sighed again. She realized she should have seen this coming. "You started it," she said lamely. Heero's brows lifted again before his features relaxed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I was trying to calm you."

Relena scoffed a laugh. "Well. Now I feel anything but calm."

Heero reached up and raked a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry."

Relena shook her head and sat upright. "No need to apologize." She smoothed her skirt, which had gotten pretty wrinkled during their… exchange. She hoped she wasn't sending Heero the wrong message; she wasn't sure what she wanted to do next, but that didn't mean she wanted to stop. She glanced shyly over at him. "I… I like kissing you," she admitted.

"Yeah?" Heero's voice rose slightly, and Relena's heart leapt. His sudden vulnerability was adorable. "That was okay?"

She nodded, keeping her eyes on her lap. "Yes," she whispered. "I'd like to do it again, if you would."

"Now?" he asked.

"Anytime."

Silence fell between them for a moment. Relena glanced sidelong at Heero, hoping her eagerness hadn't thrown him. Why did she feel so insecure, admitting to the guy who'd kissed her - multiple times now - that she liked it?

 _Get a grip, Relena,_ she scolded herself mentally.

Heero appeared to be studying her closely. Finally, he spoke again. "Would that be okay?"

"Would what be okay?"

"If I kissed you… anytime."

Relena couldn't help but laugh. "I already said it was, Heero." She gave him her most encouraging smile. "You can do anything you want." She realized too late that she'd given him quite a wide berth. She hoped that didn't make her sound _too_ eager; it wasn't as if she were throwing herself at him. Was she?

She still felt the need for some contact with him. So she reached over and took both his hands in hers, giving them a squeeze before drawing them into her lap. Heero looked unsure, and Relena feared her heart was about to break.

"Anything I want," he echoed, his voice flat. He looked askance at her. "Do you know what I want?"

Relena's heart pounded. "No, I…" She could guess, but of course she couldn't know without a doubt.

"I want to have sex with you."

His confession at once shocked and thrilled Relena. Not that it was all that shocking, given what they were just doing... Making out. On her bed. But his blunt delivery still took her aback.

"Heero…" Her face burned, and once again she couldn't quite meet his eyes. "I…I don't know what to say…"

"You don't want to," he said quickly. "I understand. I shouldn't have said that." He rose from his seat and turned to leave.

"No!" Relena sputtered. "I do! And you can say whatever you want, Heero!" Again, her own desperation surprised her. She tightened her hold on his hands and gave him the most assertive look she could muster. "I mean that," she added more softly.

Several expressions passed over his face as he looked down at her, each one of them more unreadable than the last.

"I couldn't do that to you," he said finally.

"Why not?" Relena could feel tears forming, and tried to blink them away. "Is there something wrong with me?"

Heero's face faltered. "Of course not." He sat down beside her once again, keeping their hands connected. "It's just… I'm in charge of your security now. I can't allow anything to compromise that."

Of _course_ he would be worried about that. Relena couldn't help but smile. It was textbook Heero Yuy.

"Heero…" she said softly, gazing steadily into his eyes. "You can look out for me, _and_ be with me. You can do both."

He shook his head once. "Not effectively."

Relena sighed. "Sure, you can. You're just worried you'll get in your own way."

Heero frowned at her. "I should be concentrating on your security. Especially with this party coming up." His brows knit together. "I… shouldn't be thinking about… deflowering you."

Relena's eyes bulged, and she nearly burst out laughing. " _Deflowering_ me?! Seriously?" Sometimes, she swore to God, Heero Yuy could be so old-fashioned…

His frown deepened. "Well…" he said slowly. "You are a virgin… aren't you?"

Relena felt a jolt through her heart. "You're not?" All kinds of unpleasant images rushed to mind… Heero with some other girl. Maybe in Japan, where he'd been for the past few months… had he met someone? Or was there someone before the war, or even during? Someone other than her?

"I am," he said, and Relena instantly she like could breathe again. Heero looked off to the side, and his grip on her hands tightened. "I just… I keep having these… thoughts."

Relena's heart resumed its rapid pace. "What kinds of thoughts?"

Heero looked ashamed. "I… it's just…" He turned back to face her suddenly, the speed of his movements startling her. His face took on a different expression, one Relena had never seen him wear. He looked anxious and baffled, all at once.

"I've been alone all my life, Relena," he said, sounding as though he was struggling to compose his thoughts on the spot. "That's all I've known. I've never… I've never been close to anyone. I've never allowed myself to get close."

"I know." Relena gave his hands another squeeze, giving him unspoken encouragement to go on.

His brow furrowed. "I stayed in a hostel in Japan. Alone every night. It was always the same. But there were couples all around me…" He blanched. "And I heard… things…"

"Oh." Relena's eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. Her mind filled in the blanks, and her flush darkened. "And?"

"And… it made me…" Heero grazed the back of Relena's hand with her thumb. "It made me not want to be alone anymore." He raised his eyes to look at her, his expression unguarded. Exposed. "I wanted you in my bed with me," he admitted. "I just… wanted you there. That's why I couldn't stay. That's why-"

"You came back to Brussels?" Relena cut in, astonished. Had he come all this way… to sleep with her? Not that she minded, but it was a startling admission, coming from Heero.

"That's not why. That's not the only reason." He frowned again. "I want… I _need_ to be by your side. To protect you."

Relena wanted to remind him that he could do both. Easily. She saw no reason why that would be difficult. They were already living and working together… wasn't coming together physically the next logical step?

 _Finally…_ She felt the swell of longing in her heart. She wanted it so badly, it hurt. Finally, they could be in a relationship. They could be a real couple. It already felt like they were… they were certainly bonded by more than just the war. She knew it, and it was clear Heero knew it, too, or he wouldn't be struggling so much to voice his feelings to her.

 _He loves me,_ she thought. _He must. He just doesn't know how to tell me..._

"I know you can protect me, Heero," she whispered. "I believe in you." Her words seemed to stir something in him; his gaze softened.

"Relena…"

"And I can care for you. If you'll let me." Before he could utter a word of protest, Relena leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

 _I love you,_ she whispered in her heart. She was so close to saying it out loud, but she worried it might be too much just then. But nothing and no one could keep her from making her own silent vow. _I love you, Heero Yuy. I will always love you._

She let her lips linger against his skin before resting her head in the crook of his neck. She closed her eyes and breathed in his unique, masculine scent. The scent that clung to his shirts, his Preventers jacket. Like cinnamon… and gunpowder.

She felt his hands come up to cup her face. He gently raised her head from his shoulder. His eyes glimmered as he closed the short distance between them, covering her mouth with his.

They kissed for a long moment before Heero pulled away. To Relena's relief, he was smiling at her. His face held the same soft look he gave her during those rare tender moments she had come to cherish.

"Thank you," he murmured. "I… I need you to know how much I care for you, Relena."

Her heart flipped at his words. "Heero…" Her voice caught; she couldn't finish. She felt as if she were on the verge of an undying confession, and so was he.

"I don't know how to care for you, the way I should." His eyes darkened, and Relena's heart plummeted. "I've never known these feelings… I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted.

Relena reached up to grasp his shoulders. "It's all right, Heero. You don't have to have everything figured out right now…"

"I know." His face softened. "But I do know that I need to be a better man. For you."

Relena's face fell. "But I… I don't understand… what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I can't stay with you," he said gently. "Not right now."

A fresh protest welled up inside her. "No, Heero," she whispered against tears. "Please don't go. Not like this."

He chuckled, and it caught her off guard. "I'm not going anywhere," he said, his smile slowly returning. He lifted a hand and cradled the back of her neck. "That said, I can't stay here, in this house with you, forever. I need to make something of myself."

His eyes were warm and reassuring, but it was hard for Relena to feel secure in that moment. She feared the world around her was crumbling. She had been so happy he had accepted her offer to stay with her; she should have realized right off the bat that their arrangement was temporary. She was just so excited, at the time, at the thought of having Heero Yuy under the same roof as her. It was more than she had ever dreamed or hoped for.

Now, here she was, selfish and already asking him for more. He had given her an inch, and she immediately wanted a mile.

But, still… Relena thought she understood where Heero was coming from. At the same time, she didn't want to see him putting unnecessary pressure on himself.

"Tell you what." She tipped her head and smiled at him. "You can stay with me as long as you want, Heero. You are always welcome here; know that."

He nodded once. "I know. I appreciate that. But-"

Relena held up a hand. "No buts," she cut in. "You are free to come and go as you please. I don't want you to feel any sort of obligation to me, either. We're… friends. This is what friends do for one another. We don't owe one another anything."

They were so much more than friends, but Relena was still afraid to say it.

Heero quirked a brow.

"Are we still _friends_ if we sleep together?" His tone was dripping. Relena's face immediately colored.

"I… I mean… We…" She couldn't make her words cooperate. Heero just chuckled and rose to his feet. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going to work on this security plan. Since apparently you have an issue with having armored guards at a birthday party." Heero gave her a smirk before turning toward the door.

Relena tipped her chin up at him. "And what about the rest of this… discussion?"

"Which part of the discussion are you referring to?" His lips twitched slightly. "You mean sex?"

Relena felt the familiar heat creep into her cheeks. "Yes," she said, trying to sound as calm and self-assured as possible. "That."

Heero continued to hold her gaze. "You know where to find me."

A thrill raced through her as new thoughts filled her mind. Thoughts of Heero staying by her side; thoughts of all that had yet to come.

"So you're staying, then?" She smiled broadly at him as she asked the question, even though she already knew the answer. She wanted to hear it from his lips.

"Looks like it," he answered casually. But Relena could see something else in his eyes; Heero looked more sure of anything than he had in a while. "I have plenty to keep me busy," he added.

"All right, then." Relena stood, too, smoothing her skirt. "I should get back to work as well. I also have to get ready for this party. Although my plans don't include any special ops." She gave Heero a wink before brushing past him.

She felt him grab her sleeve. Relena halted her steps without turning around.

"Yes?"

Heero lowered his lips close to her ear. "For the record," he murmured, "when it comes to security measures, I can't make any promises. Your safety is my utmost concern." He pulled his face back just enough to look her in the eye. His gaze was resolute. "You're too damn important to me."

Relena stood still as his words struck her. He really meant that; she could tell. She held his gaze for a long moment, her heart pounding wildly all the while. "Heero…"

She didn't know how else to respond. She was touched by his concern, but there was more to it than that. His face had gone to stone again, but he had already revealed his heart.

Heero bent his head to hers and grazed her lips lightly. It was a brief kiss, but Relena wasn't about to let him go so easily.

Not after he'd promised to stay.

She reached up and looped her arms around his neck, pressing herself up against him. Heero immediately responded, placing one hand on her lower back, the other running through her long hair. She parted her lips and felt Heero's tongue pursuing hers. They were so entangled, Relena half-expected Heero to pick her up and carry her back over to the bed.

Several minutes passed before they finally parted. Heero pressed another quick kiss to her forehead before releasing her.

"You're not making my job any easier, you know." His eyes twinkled at her. "I have to earn my keep."

Relena sighed and refrained from reaching for him again. "You don't have to earn anything, Heero. I already told you…"

"And _I_ already told you," Heero interjected, "I have to find my place in this world. That may very well be by your side. So for now, that's where I'll be."

Fear pierced her heart. "For now?"

Heero tipped her chin up and smiled down at her. "Relax. You worry too much. I said I'm not going anywhere, remember?"

"Not now, you're not," Relena sniffed. "But what if…" The thought was too much to bear. "What if one day… you change your mind?"

Heero shook his head from side to side. "I'm not going to change my mind," he said firmly. "I think we're talking about two different things. I'm not leaving you, Relena." He leaned closer so that their foreheads touched. "There are times I may have to leave here, physically, because there are things I need to do to keep you and the rest of the world safe. Just as you have your duties to attend to; I have mine."

Relena nodded, stubbornly blinking back tears. Why did his words make her want to cry again? It was beyond frustrating.

"That said…" Heero's lips curved up slightly. "I don't want you to worry. I promised you long ago I would protect you, and I meant it. And I'm telling you now, no matter where I go or what I have to do… I will always return to you, Relena." A determined look crossed his face, and his eyes seemed to swirl with his conviction. "You have my word."

A surge of reassurance washed over Relena. She was finally able to smile fully at Heero, and knew her heart must be in her eyes. "That means so much to me, Heero. I… can't even tell you what that means to me." Her tears betrayed her, slipping down her cheeks. Heero gave her a softer smile, and reached up to brush her tears away.

"Don't thank me," he murmured. "This is the only thing I can do for you. You deserve… so much more."

Relena reached up and grasped his hands, holding them to her heart. "This is more than enough," she whispered fervently. "This is all I want, Heero… All I want is you."

His lips twitched. "I have a feeling that's not all you want..."

Relena trilled a laugh. "You're right. I want you, all the time. Always." She tipped her head at him. "Is that too much to ask?"

He paused, as if considering this. "It's not realistic, but… I'll do what I can."

"Oh, Heero…" Relena smiled and reached up to ruffle his wavy shock of hair. "Just lie to me and say you'll be with me, always."

He frowned, apparently taking her statement seriously. "I'm not going to lie to you, Relena. I'm going to do what I can to fulfill my promise to you." He released her hands and gathered her into his arms. "Everything I do," he murmured, "is for you. You are... my person. You are mine to protect."

Relena leaned into his chest, her eyes newly wet, and knew she was another heartfelt confession away from sobbing into his shirt.

 _I love you._ That's all it would take. The words were poised on her own lips, but she kept them close to her heart, and rested her head against his own. She could feel and hear it beating. She knew now, more than ever, that this impossible man - her real-life hero - was fully human. He was giving her his heart, the only way he knew how.

She wanted to give him hers, all of hers, but there would be time for that yet. For now, in his arms, she felt more secure than ever before. And for now, that was enough.

"Thank you," she whispered against his chest. It rumbled with the low timbre of his voice.

"For what?"

Relena lifted her head to look Heero in the eye, and once again caught his unguarded emotion. His feelings were bared and stripped before her, and she knew at once that he had finally let her in. There was no going back now; their hearts had circled one another for long enough. Now, at last, they had found their place.

She beamed a smile up at him.

"For staying."

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _Dear readers,_

 _This is my little thank you for all of your support! This is also a love letter to the series, and ho_ w _I truly see the next chapter of Heero and Relena's post-war lives unfolding (with a little less drama than I would usually include!)._

 _A few of you have asked me to include some backstory and/or flashbacks of how Heero and Relena came together as teens (which, in my current WIP,_ Civil Wars _, led to a young pregnancy and marriage). You can think of this story as supplemental material, if you like, but I don't have the room for something like this in that story and thought this should stand on its own. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it._ _1xR forevah!_

 _And, oh yeah... happy Sunday Funday!_

 _\- RFP_


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